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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Tom Coughlin confident of new deal

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

By Rich CiminiESPNNewYork.comPALM BEACH, Fla. -- New York Giants coach Tom Coughlin, entering the final year of his contract, expressed confidence Wednesday that a new, multiyear extension will be hammered out in the coming weeks.

"Quite frankly, it'll get done," he told reporters at the NFL meetings. "I'm not overly concerned."

Two months removed from his second Super Bowl championship in four years, an upbeat Coughlin didn't seemed concerned about anything -- not even the massive amount of publicity generated by theNew York Jets.

You know who won the Super Bowl, you know who the world champions are. Whether we're on the front page every day or not, it's not that important. New Yorkers know.

”-- Tom Coughlin

The Jets' acquisition of Tim Tebow has overshadowed the Giants in the New York area, but Coughlin insisted he doesn't mind one bit. Perhaps tweaking his local rival, Coughlin said fans remember championships more than anything.

"You know who won the Super Bowl, you know who the world champions are," he said. "Whether we're on the front page every day or not, it's not that important. New Yorkers know."

Clearly, the Giants are reveling in their status as the understated champions. On Sunday, co-owner John Mara arrived at the league meetings and said of Tebow-mania, "I don't know (if the city is big enough), but the David Carr press conference will be tomorrow afternoon, too."

Life is good for the Giants and Coughlin, who is looking at the likelihood of a significant raise. He signed a four-year deal for about $21 million after the previous Super Bowl win, receiving a one-year extension before the 2011 season. This time, he expects more than a year and there's speculation he could jump into the $7 million-a-year category.

"It's just whenever John and our people get together, get a sit-down and give themselves a little time," he said. "I'm sure it will get done."

On Tuesday, Mara told the New York Post he expects to wrap up a deal in four to six weeks.

"We've had a lot of good discussions since the Super Bowl, and I have no doubt it's going to get done very soon," Mara told the Post.. "As I've said, Tom is our guy, and we think we have the best coach in the league."

Coughlin, 65, the oldest coach in the league, said he has no timetable in terms of how long he'd like to coach.

"No matter how many years you sign a contract, it's a one-year deal," he said. "I'm going to go forth with the idea of enjoying each season as it comes and rallying the troops, if you will."

Super Bowl XLVI: Giants 21, Patriots 17

Once again, the Giants battled back in the closing minutes to beat the Patriots in a Super Bowl.

But Jacobs won't be returning to the Giants as he agreed to a contract with the San Francisco 49ers on Wednesday, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Defensive end Osi Umenyiora, who requested a trade before last season, will be back on the team, according to Coughlin.

"I'm not thinking of anything else," he said.

Coughlin did perhaps his best coaching job last season, overcoming injuries and a four-game losing streak to win the NFC East at 9-7. The Giants stunned the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ersin road playoff victories before defeating the New England Patriots in a dramatic Super Bowl XLVI.

"The stuff of legends," Coughlin said, sipping a cup coffee over a relaxing session with reporters.

A few weeks before the championship, Coughlin was thought to be on the hot seat, with critics calling for him to be fired. Looking back on the adversity, he laughed.

"I'll take the lumps to get to the end of the rainbow anytime," he said.

Coughlin reflected on the Super Bowl celebration, saying amid the post-game madness that he hugged a stranger on the field that turned out to be rap star Flava Flav. He also reminisced about the victory parade in lower Manhattan.

That morning, he gave the players a lesson on the history of ticker-tape parades through the Canyon of Heroes.